


A Single Moment

by stealyourshiny



Series: Fic Request Challenges [5]
Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-17
Updated: 2011-10-17
Packaged: 2017-10-24 17:37:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/266106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stealyourshiny/pseuds/stealyourshiny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fic request #5 (Aveline/Donnic) for a1879.</p><p>It’s shorter than I tend to like my mini-fics to be (I aim for at least 1000 words generally), but this one just seemed so perfect that forcing more words would ruin it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Single Moment

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



In a single moment, everything could change.

Aveline was painfully aware of this.

The outcome of the Battle at Ostagar had been changed in a single moment.

Wesley had died by her hand in a single moment.

The Chantry was gone in a single moment.

And she had decided, in a single moment, to follow Hawke to the Gallows.

In retrospect, she had few regrets. The mages they had protected were not prepared for battle, very few of them ever even having been allowed to use their magic outside of specially controlled classrooms. Children who had been conditioned to fear templars and swords. Children who were slaughtered easily by the trained soldiers.

She was relieved when Cullen, in a single moment, stepped back, letting the group flee the Gallows after their battle with Knight-Commander Meredith, or what was left of her after that idol had taken hold of her paranoia.

Aveline sighed, looking across the sea toward the billowing black clouds that indicated the direction that Kirkwall lay. Her life had come crashing down twice now, in two separate moments. Two turning points.

She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly in the night ocean air. A storm would come. Isabela had already warned them and had set about preparing the crew. She was going to use the storm to get further away from the city before any sort of pursuit could be made - just in case, Isabela had said.

Regret came, in the form of the faces of people who had been under her command. Brennan, Maecon, Melindra, Wright, Harley, and Lia. Little Lia, the first elf to join the guard. She hoped she had not disappointed them with her choice too much. She would miss them. She would miss Kirkwall. It had become a home. She regretted taking off the armour of Guard Captain. When she’d gotten onto the ship, she knew she didn’t deserve to wear it any longer, and had stripped it off, leaving just her leather pants and jerkin. The kerchief… she kept that. It was folded and carefully stored with the other scant belongings she’d managed to grab on their way out of the city.

She did not regret helping Hawke. She did not regret protecting those that could not protect themselves. Aveline also did not regret breaking Anders’ nose when it was over.

“Aveline?”

The red-haired woman continued to stare at the black smoke, but smiled gently to herself. She felt strong arms wrap around her from behind, and the tickle of fuzzy sideburns as they rubbed against her cheek. Donnic rested his chin on her shoulder and hugged her tightly before kissing her temple.

“You should come below deck, it’s too cold up here.”

“Yes, love,” she replied in a soft voice, still smiling.

At least this time, she wasn’t alone.


End file.
